Sunday, January 29, 2012

My very good friend, Kristen, has delivered her 6th baby! As usual, she did it in less then 2 hours. She gets started and there's no stopping that locomotive! Over the last several months I've had the honor of renewing my friendship with Kristen during prenatal visits. It has been wonderful! I would usually visit her around 11a and would end up staying for lunch and a crochet lesson (my newest crafty passion...thanks, Kristen!)...oh and eventually we'd get around to the prenatal visit;)

11 years ago, I was blessed to attend Kristen with her first baby, Hope. Since then, Heather was born, Grace was adopted, Courtney arrived, Caleb (the prince;) made his appearance, and then sweet Kelsey. Here are all of the them in a photo from Christmas.

Kristen wasn't officially due until February 7th, so when she called me at 915p, the evening of the 26th, I (of course) was fast asleep. At first I was a bit confused about why she might be calling (she usually delivers late), but then I snapped awake, threw on my scrubs and was out the door in less then 6 minutes!! No stopping for coffee or gas for that matter, I raced down to her house which is about 60 minutes from me (I got there in 45;) Knowing I didn't have a lot of time, I got Christina on the way as well. We walked into the house and less then 10 minutes later at exactly 1015p, baby Kara Joy was born! Kristen did a wonderful job! I'm so proud of her. Most people will say how lucky she is to have her babes so fast, but when they come so fast like that, it is quite overwhelming...its very hard to get a grip. Kristen handled the labor beautifully.

Here she is!!!

Shortly after Kara Joy was born, she started sucking her thumb. Adorable!!!!

Here she is being weighed. She's just a peanut! She weighed in at 5lbs 14 oz.

What a wonderful birth my friend had. I'm so happy for her and her husband,Jim (who is still trying to wrap his brain around being the father of 7 children!!!)

One more thing I want to add. Kristen came back into my life at the perfect time. I had been struggling mightly with some personal issues and altho I was taking these issues to the Lord, He knew I needed someone else to help me with my walk. That person was Kristen. Over the last few months we have emailed back and forth several times a week. She would point out some things I needed to look at in the bible and she also gave me huge encouragement to take everthing to God.

I love little Kara Joy so much! She will always remind me that the Lord brought joy into my life through a special friend Karen. Thank you for jumping into a friendship with me and for your endless kindness (like all the home prenatal visits), patience (reading all my e-mails and listening to all my thoughts and feelings), understanding (even sharing your own struggles), encouragement (through your own comforting words and the Bible), and hope (life is better with a friend like you to talk to) you've given me over these months. You know what I just realized...this is one reason the Lord gave me another girl. Everyone around me is having a boy...but I needed this baby girl...and to name her this name from the Lord (Pure Joy from the Lord) to remember all HE has done for me. Thank you for letting HIM use you in my life...and I pray for a continued friendship.

Oh Kristen!!! I too pray for our continued friendship!! You have made me one blessed, honored and happy midwife. Thank you!!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Here's my latest pregnant mama art quilt. This one (as well as the one below) was commissioned by my friend, Debbie. It measures 20 X 25 inches.

She's going to hang it in her office next to this one:

The above art quilts can be recreated to your specifications. Hair color, dress and blanket color can be your choice as well as the background. These quilts (this size of 20 x 25 inches) are priced at $85.00 each. All proceeds are going toward a midwifery/missions trip to the Dominican Republic I am planning to attend this June. I will be posting more art quilts the will be for sale over the next few months. Stay Tuned!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Well, I jumped into Project Quilting again. I wasn't planning on it, but I was struck by inspiration for the first challenge. Here are the rules for this first project:

Architectual Elements

*Your inspiration will come from architecture.

*Be sure to include a photo or description of the architectural element(s) that inspired you.

*Your project can be any size or shape.

*Please remember that these projects need to be created during the week of the challenge.

My inspiration was the lighthouse and the black steel bars that run the course of the pier.

Here's what I came up with:

I wanted this to be a bit more 3D, with more shading and such but needed to get the project in in time. My favorite part is the shading I did on the pier. I used a brown color pencil to do this bit. I also used a white color pencil to add a bit of shading to the bars and the lighthouse. This piece measures 10 X 16 inches.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Well, 2011 was quite a year. I started going thru my blog and saw that so much has happened this past year. I'll try not to bore you too much with the babies and crafting and the babies and the crafting:)

The past year has had its highs and it had it lows*...like every year does. Here are some of my highs for 2011:) I actually just got thru the first 3 months....hopefully I'll be able to blog more later.

*If you want to know about the lows, we will need to meet for lunch....and dinner:)